2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco Priced from $25,995, Slightly Undercuts Hybrid Competitors

November 22, 2011 at 4:49pm by Alexander Stoklosa

Chevrolet has announced that the 2013 Malibu Eco will start at $25,995—higher than most non-hybrid mid-size sedans, but lower than mid-size hybrid players such as the Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry. The Eco model will spearhead the new global 2013 Chevrolet Malibu’s launch in the U.S. in early 2012—the presumably cheaper gas-only model, powered by a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder, will arrive later.

The Eco’s middle-of-the-road pricing makes sense: it’s a mild hybrid system—essentially the same as Buick’s eAssist—but unlike Toyota’s hybrid system, the electric motor cannot power the car on its own. As a result, fuel-economy estimates are an unexceptional (in the hybrid context) 26 mpg in the city and 38 on the highway; higher than a conventional gas-powered sedan’s, but lower than its hybrid competitors. Furthermore, the Eco’s 2.4-liter four combined with its electric motor/generator is good for 182 hp—less than some competitors’ four-cylinders. For comparison, the 2012 Toyota Camry hybrid LE returns 43 and 39 mpg city/highway, packs 200 hp, and is priced from $26,660. That’s not a whole lot more money for markedly better city fuel economy and comparable highway thrift. On the other end of the spectrum, the $21,455 base 2012 Hyundai Sonata—with a six-speed automatic—makes 198 hp and gets 24 and 35 mpg city/highway. At the moment, it appears the Malibu Eco’s pricing may be slightly out of step with its capabilities, but we will reserve judgment until we drive a production model for ourselves.

Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet Malibu Eco |

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Road Race Motorsports Fiat 500 Club Sportivo Tested: Cinquecento Gets (Slightly) Nasty

Often, with cars like the Volkswagen Beetle or Fiat 500, the curse of cuteness can be totally reversed by adding slick wheels, applying a few decals, and slamming the sucker. You don't even have to touch the engine. Fleets of first-gen Scion xBs roll around Los Angeles in just such a fashion. They might make the same 108 hp as those transporting the legions of cheerleaders who also bought xBs, but, slammed, they get props from car dudes.

We'd expect more than just paint and tape and a slam from Road Race Motorsports. Based in the L.A. suburb of Santa Fe Springs, the company earned its credibility over the past few years making hard-core Lancer Evolution parts and, more recently, suspension and engine kits to perk up various Suzuki and Hyundai models. The company's new Fiat 500 Club Sportivo does look slick, even more so when you learn why the hood and roof are matte black. Road Race owner Rob Tallini currently is restoring an old Lancia Fulvia into a tribute to the factory rally cars from the early '70s, and was inspired to finish this 500's hood and roof in similar fashion.

Besides the graphics and the wheels and the slammed Bilstein suspension, the Club Sportivo—okay, that might be a slightly silly name for a car, but then so is Golf—wears some intake and exhaust mods developed by Road Race to make it a little breezier under throttle. The result is a pseudo ricer with an Italian flare, one that goes a little quicker and turns a bit sharper than the stock floater, with substantially less sway in the corners.

Building the (Little) Beast

A mid-grade Fiat 500 Sport (the basic Pop is cheaper, the luxury Lounge more expensive) with optional automatic climate control leaves the showroom for $18,600. Under the hood, Road Race installed a cone-filter-capped, red-crackle-finish aluminum intake ($319) worth a dyno-tested 5 hp, and an "axle-back" dual-tip sport exhaust ($599) which shrinks the silencer can for a sportier rip without touching most of the stock exhaust plumbing. In concert with the intake, the dyno shows about a 9-horse gain for the breathing enhancements. Road Race also fitted a $359 timing controller that advances spark timing, and drew out another 6 or so hp.

Up about 15 hp on the stock Fiat 500's 101, the Club Sportivo creeps somewhat closer to the base 121-hp Mini Cooper, but still is not nearly as quick. A few runs through the quarter-mile with the Club Sportivo produced a best 0-to-60-mph time of 9.4 seconds, a hair fleeter than the stock Fiat 500 Sport (9.6 seconds) we recently compared against a base Mini (8.0 seconds) and significantly quicker than our newly arrived long-term Fiat 500 Sport (9.9 seconds). At 17.0 seconds through the quarter-mile at 81 mph, the Club Sportivo has between 0.3 and 0.5 second on its stock counterparts. The results may not be stunning, but neither is the price of the equipment, and the intake and exhaust confer other benefits, both aesthetic and acoustic. The extra intake snarl, especially, enlivens the 1.4-liter MultiAir's otherwise faint, kittenish growl.

Squat, Stiffen, and Stop

Road Race adhered to a strict budget underhood, but things get a little pricier in the suspension department. The more-rigid Bilstein coil-overs ($999) are paired with a Road Race rear anti-roll bar ($249) and camber-adjuster kit ($99). The car now sits about one inch lower than stock. Slotted Road Race brake rotors at all four corners ($378) are clamped by Road Race sport brake pads ($89). Stopping distances remained essentially unchanged at 175 feet.

Appearance mods include the 8.0 x 15-inch Stance Mindset wheels ($999) wearing 195/50-15 Falken Ziex ZE-912 all-season tires (about $99 apiece). The front lip spoiler ($300), small wing extension on the hatch ($199), and gold "Club Sportivo" stripe ($269) set this 500 apart without devolving into tastelessness. Road Race wouldn't quote a price for the retro flat-black hood and roof, which is a vinyl wrap, but most any wrap shop can do that job.

Bottom line: about $23,850 plus whatever you spend on black vinyl if you also wish to pay tribute to Lancia's glory days in rallying. Is it worth it? The Club Sportivo is certainly fun, ducking in and out of traffic with small-car agility enhanced by the lower center of gravity and the stiffer suspension. Whereas the stock 500 squirms and leans over before it begins to turn, this car is more lashed down, responding more immediately and with less scrub to your wheel inputs. It may not be much more powerful than a stock 500, but it certainly sounds so, which gives you more confidence threading a path up a crowded boulevard or letting go of the merge lane and joining fast-moving expressway traffic.

Leaps and Conclusions

The downside is a head-bobbling ride from the Bilsteins, which are particularly prone to evil on such a short wheelbase. Hit an abrupt, ramp-like bridge joint on a freeway overpass, and the car leaps. Good thing there's a lot of headroom, or you might sustain a concussion. Such trade-offs are accepted by slammers as the price of fashion.

The forthcoming Abarth will supply some of the cool cunning of the Club Sportivo, augmented by more red-meat horsepower. A Mini Cooper S would give you as much handling and more power for the price, but not everybody wants yet another Mini. And anyway, that's tangential to the point of the Club Sportivo, which is to show everything in Road Race's catalog for the Fiat 500 all on one vehicle. If you don't need the full meal, just order a few of the side dishes and you'll be happy. As in Italy itself, there's nothing bad on this menu.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 3-door hatchback

PRICE AS TESTED: $23,850 (base price: $23,850)

ENGINE TYPE: SOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection

Displacement: 83 cu in, 1368 cc
Power: 120 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 102 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 90.6 in
Length: 139.6 in
Width: 64.1 in Height: 58.8 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 2400 lbC/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 9.4 sec
Zero to 80 mph: 16.8 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 17.0 @ 81 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 175 ft

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Land Rover Bringing Slightly Altered DC100 Concepts to L.A. Auto Show

The two DC100 variants that Land Rover debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show, a hardtop and the roofless Sport, mark the beginning of one of the company’s most difficult tasks yet: determining the shape of the next-generation Defender off-roader. Rover is bringing the two concepts to the L.A. auto show, but with a few subtle tweaks.

To that end, the yellow DC100 Sport now has a storage rack mounted to its rear deck. As for the DC100 hardtop concept, Land Rover painted it blue—but left the roof white, to better remind of the Toyota FJ Cruiser. It also gets rolling stock that looks a little more off-road-ready than the ridiculous big-wheel and low-profile-tire package it wore in Frankfurt. While such a small change makes the DC100 look a little more ready for the trail, both concepts are still a long way from the final shape of the Defender replacement. Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s design director, tells us that these two mark “the beginning of a four-year journey” in search of the appropriate shape.

Tags: 2011 L.A. auto show, Land Rover, Land Rover DC100 concept, Land Rover DC100 Sport concept |

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Nissan Reveals 2012 NV3500 HD Passenger Van; It Carries Up to 12 in Slightly Less Heinous Style

So remember the NV commercial van Nissan released last year? Of course you do, because it’s awesome (you can read our review of an NV2500 here, and a post about its platform and potential future here). Nissan has just unveiled a new passenger version of the burliest model, the NV3500 HD, and the people-carrier exchanges the cargo van’s metal body-side panels and bare cargo area for giant windows and seats. Lots of seats. If the windowless NV was Nissan’s shot across the bow of trade-fleet mainstays such as the Ford E-series and Chevrolet Express, the passenger version is the automaker’s attempt to shoulder its way into the hotel- and airport-shuttle arena.

The windows make the passenger NV much less awkward to behold than slab-sided commercial versions. (The low roof helps, too, although the taller cap would have made more sense for ingress and egress.) The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter still seems sexy in comparison, but at least the gap has narrowed. Functionally, this new Nissan boasts four rows of seats and can transport up to 12 people, including the driver. Nissan claims there are 324 possible configurations for the chairs, and the second and third rows are adjustable or can be removed entirely. The non-adjustable fourth row features a 50/50 split—rows two and three split 65/35—and each half can be individually removed. A full suite of options is available to make life in any row more pleasant, including a rear HVAC system, reading lamps for all rows, an additional 12-volt power outlet located in the third row, and two 120-volt AC power outlets. For the driver, Nissan offers the same navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity, and back-up camera that can be had in the NV commercial models.

Mechanically, this model shares all of its underpinnings with the NV commercial van. It’s powered by either a 261-hp, 4.0-liter V-6 or a burly 317-hp, 5.6-liter V-8 (the NV3500 HD cargo van is V-8–only). Both engines route output to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. The passenger NV’s two lowest trim levels are also available on the commercial version, including a base S model and the step-up SV. The people-toting NV adds a range-topping SL spec, however, which carries most of the NV’s available options as standard kit and is available only with the V-8 engine. Nissan hasn’t released pricing, but the lowest-priced cargo model (an NV1500 with the V-6) starts at $25,930, so expect a premium for the additional seats, chassis spec, and safety equipment. The NV passenger van will hit dealerships this coming spring.

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